Blog Archives

Right after the men’s basketball game ended on Tuesday night against Cal State Northridge, UofL twitter didn’t turn all of its attention to the Kentucky basketball game. Instead, news came out from ESPN680 radio that running back Michael Dyer would not play for the Cards in next week’s Belk Bowl. So then, the speculation started about why.

What’s going on CardNation? I know what you are thinking. Mannnnnnnnn it’s been a long time since we got an edition of 55. Well in a few weeks the 2015 season of 55 will be up and rolling. Every year I choose to work a seasonal job for some extra Xmas cash. I liked the place I worked last year so much I decided to grace them with my presence (not presents) once again. I have worked an astonishing 25 straight days without a day off and all of those but one were 10 hour shifts. It will be a nice Xmas in the Wahman house this year to say the least. I will get my shoutouts to the crew at Fanatics and then into some business in this edition of 55…kinda. Shout-outs to my crew at Fanatics (AKA NFL/NBAshop.com): Jess, Leah, Tyler, Renaaaado. White James (his nickname he gave himself), Lucky Charms, Cody, R Kelly, Alonzo, Momma J, Misty, Debbie, Elaine, Penny, Nathan, Aaron, Rhonda and Mustachio. I think that’s all. If I forgot you then please remind me tomorrow at work and I will pretend to care. Without further adieu, here are the most ridiculous, outlandish, interesting or just downright obnoxious things I have heard this week. THIS is 55…..kinda. This video is for my buddy E Sosa…….

We talk Basketball watch party. We talk big win over Notre Dame. We talk ranked teams and end of seasons. I will share a story of my trip to Notre Dame, a gallery of the trip and more tidbits as we go. We talk kentucky football and much, much more. So without further adieu, get ready for the ride. Without further interruption, here are the things from this week that stood out to me the most. The most ridiculous, interesting and factual things I came across. This is 55……….

On Monday afternoon, Bobby Petrino met with the media for his weekly press conference. He talked about Syracuse, previewed Clemson, and said that “there’s a good chance” that DeVante Parker will play on Saturday. Check out the video from thecrunchzone.com or just read the transcript below. Or do both, that is also an option.

Opening Statement

Looking back on the Syracuse game, it was a big win for us. It was a good win for us. Again our defense played extremely well. They not only stopped the run and hit the quarterback, but they scored four points. We watched the video. We saw improvement. We hurt ourselves in the first half with penalties and we turned the ball over. There definitely was improvement in the second half.

The other thing I’m excited about is that you can see the competitive spirit and the players competing extremely hard to compete and win the games.

Well the Cards just went to the Carrier Dome and exercised some demons. Going up to a place that hasn’t been to friendly, Louisville leaves Syracuse with the 28-6 victory. They improve to 5-1 on the season and are now 3-1 in ACC play. Here are just some quick thoughts right after the game.

*First off, the defense was outstanding once again. After facing 3 freshman quarterbacks in their first 5 games, the Cards finally faced a team that has been decent on offense. Senior QB Terrel Hunt threw for 294 yards last week against Notre Dame. Louisville held him to 196 yards in this game and he threw 2 interceptions and 0 touchdowns. He obviously didn’t throw for a touchdown because this defense didn’t give up a touchdown all game. In fact, they haven’t given up a touchdown since the 3rd quarter in the Virginia game.

Here are the depth charts listed on each team’s website for Friday night’s game between Louisville and Syracuse. For Louisville, although it does say “Will Gardner or Reggie Bonnafon,” we know that Coach Petrino has announced that Reggie Bonnafon will start the game. It does list Matt Milton as a starter at wide receiver. Personally, I am STILL waiting for him to break onto the scene. I feel like I have been hyping him up for 3 years now.

The offensive line still has the “or” word used at center and right guard. Another interesting note is that James Quick is not listed as the first or second punt returner. Sticking with special teams, Brandon Radcliff is not listed as a starting kick returner, possibly indicating that he will continue to get more carries from the running back position.

Anytime I go to a UofL football game, I like to watch it back on DVR before typing up too much about it. It is easy to have initial thoughts and reactions while at the game, but you do notice a lot more when you watch it again on TV. So since I finally was able to do that and I just finished with it, I will close the book on the Wake Forest game with these few thoughts, before moving on to Syracuse.

*I believe that Reggie Bonnafon had a very good game. In my 3 quick hitters after the game, I mentioned this, but I have to expand on that after seeing the game again. If you just look at the stats, you would think he was average at best. He threw for 206 yards on 16/32 passing and did not throw for a touchdown. He also did not have an interception. He rushed for 46 yards on 14 carries. Two of those carries were on 3rd and long and he picked up the 1st down with big runs. Huge plays!

Speaking of 3rd and long, the rest of the offense did not do him any favors when it came to down and distance. In the first quarter, actually on the same drive, the offense for the Cards had two different penalties on 3rd down that backed them up to 3rd and long. On 3rd and 9, there was an illegal substitution that backed it up to 3rd and 14. Bonnafon would actually convert that into a 1st down with a great throw to Eli Rogers, but that kind of penalty just can’t happen. Then on 3rd and 4, the Cards were called for a chop block, backing them up to 3rd and 18. On the next play, Bonnafon was sacked. Before the chop block was called, Louisville had picked up that 1st down on 3rd and 4.

We have new uni’s to talk about again for the second straight week, these as hated as last weeks were loved. We have a triumphs and let downs. We will talk about Teddys first start in the NFL. The victory over Wake and the smothering defense. The new Louisville Slugger Gerod Holliman and much more. So sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride. These are the 55 most intriguing,ridiculous or down right best or worst things I have heard this week. This…is….55

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2) Well there’s an image for you and an overall description for what our defense did on Saturday. We knocked out Wake. giving up -22 yards rushing to go along with 8 sacks and 4 INT’s, our defense kept us in the game and won the game as far as I am concerned. Holliman, Burgess and Rankins recorded Interceptions. Lozo got 3 of the 8 sacks. On offense the rookie QB looked shaky at times but when he started feeding the beast Brandon Radcliff (130 yds 2 TD) , he seemed to run the offense more fluently. Moving forward we have to take care of the ball better. 4 fumbles vs Wake is unacceptable but I think that will improve with reps for Reggie. Also stop the penalties now please….signed all of Football. The Cards take on Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Friday night.

4) They started calling Calvin Pryor that this pre season, maybe it will catch on for Gerod. Once only known for his earth shattering hit, Holliman has come full circle. With his 6th INT of the season Saturday he is currently #1 in the country and just 4 away from tying UofL’s single season record. Anthony Floyd had 10 in one season and 18 overall which is also a record.

Here are a couple videos from the ACC Digital Network. The first is highlights from the game, and the second is the awesome run by Brandon Radcliff, which was actually the offensive line just moving him forward and forward! I have never seen a pile move like that. You usually see the whistle blow before that ever happens!

It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it was a win. Here are three quick observations from the game yesterday.

The defense had another great game

Photo: Garry Jones/AP

Some things are obvious, but it has to be said. This defense picked up the slack for the offense once again this game. Gerod Holliman continues to impress as he got his 6th interception of the season and had a great return that almost went for a touchdown. He also had a huge hit on a Wake Forest player that sent him out of the game and got the crowd very energized. He is clearly one of the fan favorites on this team.

For the game, the defense only gave up 3 points, and that was after a fumble by Reggie Bonnafon around midfield. They also only gave up 100 yards of offense from Wake Forest. Lorenzo Mauldin was in the backfield all game and came away with 3 sacks. Sheldon Rankins actually had an interception on what seemed like the 30th time that the Demon Deacons tried to run that shovel pass play up the middle.

Facing a freshman QB for the 3rd time in 5 games, the defense did exactly what they should have done, shut him down.

During Saturday’s scrimmage, running back Michael Dyer suffered a quad contusion that has held the senior out of practice since. The injury likely occurred by a helmet hitting his thigh. Bobby Petrino met with reporters after practice on Tuesday. Asked if Dyer would be ready for the Miami game on September 1, Petrino said “I hope so.”

In a day filled with not-so-exciting college football games, the Louisville Cardinals did not intend for this game to be close and filled with drama. After last week’s 14 point win at Kentucky, where a lot of people said our national title hopes and Teddy Bridgewater’s Heisman hopes took a hit, the Cards needed to come out and make a statement and be dominant. I would say they did just that, leaving no doubt in this game. If you are a top 10 team and you play a team that is this bad, you have to put on a performance like this and not struggle to have control of the game.

Today we continue our position breakdowns for the 2013 football season and focus on the Running Backs. Of course the big news recently was the addition of Michael Dyer to the team. Adding Dyer to an already solid group is big. Let’s take a look at who the Cards have at running back for this season.

Dominique Brown

RS Junior

6’2 216 lbs

If you remember, Dominique Brown actually came to UofL as a quarterback. As a freshman in 2010, he was mainly just used as our “Wildcard” quarterback. So basically he would get the snap and run. He did throw 1 pass, and that was an interception. He had 20 rushes for 59 yards that season.

I have thought this all along, and now that the season is getting closer, it seems to be a real possibility: I won’t be surprised at all if Senorise Perry does not play this season for the Cards. That doesn’t mean he won’t be ready to. But by the time he will be 100%, it may be better to treat him like we did Dominique Brown last year. Just let him sit out and get all the way healthy without using him for just a few games.

ESPN.com’s Andrea Adelson had a chance to catch up with running back Dominique Brown and talk to him about how he feels heading into this season. Brown sat out all of last season with a knee injury, and from what I saw in an open spring practice this year, he looks better than ever now. He still runs with the power he had before, but now he can make cuts and juke moves like a natural running back. He could be in for a major season. Here is the complete blog post from Adelson.

In the midst of March Madness and the men’s basketball Cards possibly making a deep run, I spent a couple of hours on Saturday morning with other fans at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium’s practice fields as I watched the Sugar Bowl champs in an open practice. It honestly got to the point where I had to remind myself that the basketball team had a game later on against Colorado State. I felt like I was watching practice for a team that was about to take the field in a week to start the season!